Sandy Duncan joins QU’s art program

Quinnipiac will welcome television actress Sandy Duncan to the university next week as a part of the 2003 concert series featuring QU’s artists-in-residence, Fidelio. In their tenth season at Quinnipiac, Fidelio will perform “Remembering Amy,” with Duncan as a guest, on Wednesday, Sept. 17. This event will be held at 7 p.m. in the School of Law’s Grand Courtroom.

The performance will detail the life of American composer Amy Beach, deemed a child genius who composed her first musical piece at the age of four. Beach, who later performed with the Boston Symphony, made headlines as the first United States woman to compose a symphony.

Concert-goers will witness seven vignettes showcasing Beach from her mother’s vantage point. The show will also offer perspectives from Amy’s housekeeper, Maud Powell, and fellow musician Mary McNamara. These scenes, written just for Duncan, will feature Fidelio performing music from the title character. The performance will conclude with a vignette of Amy during the post-World War II days in 1941.

Sandy Duncan comes to Quinnipiac after performing on both stage and screen, most notably in the films “Million Dollar Duck” (1971), “Never Again,” with Jill Clayburgh (2001) and the famed 1977 classic “Roots,” co-starring Maya Angelou and Lloyd Bridges. Duncan provided voices for the cartoon films “The Fox and the Hound” and “Rock-a-doodle.” She also toured with the Broadway musical “Anything Goes,” in 2002.

Quinnipiac favorites Fidelio will perform with Duncan to present a look at Beach’s work during the Romantic era. Fidelio co-founders Harry Clark and Sanda Schuldmann are beginning their tenth season as Artist’s-in-Residence at QU. The classical duo has been awarded the Lila Wallace/Reader’s Digest Funds and Aaron Copland Fund national awards for their musicianship.

The concert is free of charge to students and members of the Quinnipiac and Hamden community. For more information, please call x8652.